Dr Siân George (previously McGrath), Head of Commercial Development at Aquamarine Power, has recently been elected to the Board of the European Ocean Energy Association (EU-OEA).
The EU-OEA is the principal body lobbying the European Commission on behalf of the marine energy industry.
Dr George, who sits on the steering group of the UK Government’s Marine Action Plan, and was co-chair of the Scottish Government’s Marine Energy group, believes it is essential to raise the profile of wave and tidal energy in Europe.
“The UK and Scottish Governments have done a huge amount to facilitate the growth of the marine energy industry in the UK and it is now time to raise the profile of the industry in Europe.
“We believe that marine energy can make a significant contribution to Europe’s 2020 targets and can be a major part of the energy mix by 2050.
“However, there is still a pressing need for industry-wide research and significant financial support for pre-commercial development and this is where we believe Europe should play a greater role.”
Oliver Wragg, Marine Energy Policy Officer for RenewableUK was also co-opted onto the board.